Burundi has officially withdrawn from the upcoming TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – CECAFA qualifiers, set to take place in Uganda from December 14-27, 2024.
This development comes just two weeks after the tournament draw was conducted in Kampala.
Football Federation of Burundi (FFB) general secretary Manirakiza Jeremie confirmed the decision, citing issues related to player eligibility following Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests conducted by CAF medical officials.
“We communicate with regret the withdrawal of the U-17 team from the CECAFA tournament in Uganda. The decision was reached after some players were found ineligible according to the report sent by the team of CAF doctors,” stated Manirakiza.
Burundi now joins Ethiopia, who had earlier pulled out of the tournament, reducing the initial pool of eight teams to six.
The remaining teams are Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Youssouf Mossi, the CECAFA Competitions Director, announced that with only two teams (Uganda and Tanzania) left in Group A, one team from Group B will be moved to ensure a balanced format of three teams in each group.
The competition will see the six teams battle for two available slots to represent the CECAFA region at the AFCON U-17 finals.
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